• Format
  • Transcripts
  • Interviews
• Type
  • Text
• Extent
  • Pages: 17
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_MPML_Wade_McMahan_2019-05-28_transcript

Brian McMahan 1 Interviewee: Brian McMahan Interviewer: Nathan Wade Interview Date: May 28, 2019 Location: Smoky Mountain High School, Sylva, North Carolina Length: 44:33 Nathan Wade: All right, so I have to ask this question. Do you want to get right into it? Do you consent to be interviewed for Appalachian Oral History? Brian McMahan: Yes, I do. I do consent NW: And also, can you say your full legal name for the record? BM: For the record, my name is Brian Thomas McMahan. NW: Awesome. All right. Thank you. So, to begin, we’re going to start with the early life. What year were you born and where were you born? BM: Let me turn my radio down here. NW: Oh, I totally understand that BM: So it won’t cause any interference. I was born on May 27, 1975, so yesterday was my birthday. NW: Oh, that’s awesome. BM: Yeah. I was born in Sylva at CJ Harris Community Hospital. NW: OK. I think that’s actually where my mom was born. BM: Probably so. Yeah, NW: So, also happy birthday. So, you grew up around here, I’m guessing? BM: I have lived in Jackson County my entire life. NW: That’s awesome. That’s awesome. So, can you tell me about your community. Like did you live in like Little Canada? Balsam? BM: It’s actually the Willets Community. NW: Willets. Yes. We were neighbors at one point. I lived [inaudible]. BM: That’s right. It’s a…Willets is a small community. That’s W-I-L-L-E-T-S. It’s a small community within the Scotts Creek Township. Of course, counties are divided into townships and then within townships are divided into communities, so it’s toward Balsam, but it’s a small community within the Scotts Creek Township. NW: Yeah. BM: And I’ve lived there all my life, and my mother grew up there, and my grandmother grew up there, and my great-grandmother grew up there, so we’re on the same piece of property that’s been in our family for generations. Brian McMahan 2 NW: That’s awesome. That’s so cool. And that’s like…Is it on the same road as Dark Creek right there? BM: Yes. It’s Willets road. It’s right off of Willets road our driveway, which Dark Ridge Road turns off of. NW: That’s so cool because I know exactly where that is all that stuff. So, what did your parents do for a living? I know that your family has deep roots here, obviously, as you said. BM: Absolutely. My parents…my mother was a homemaker. I guess that is the correct term. NW: Sure BM: She stayed at home…a stay at home mom. Helped to take care of my brother and I. NW: Very important job. BM: Very important job. So, I always credit her with a lot of my success in school and life because she was a stable person there that I had to go to, and she made sure that we had what we need and took care of us. NW: Stayed on the right track. BM: That’s right. My dad. He worked at Dayco in Waynesville, which was a manufacturing, textile plant that produced automotive belts and hoses...rubber automotive belts and hoses. NW: Yeah. BM: And so he worked there till he retired. NW: That’s awesome. That’s cool. So, sorry, my interview I had to like kind of write to some stuff, so it’s kind of disorganized at times, but can you talk about your family’s role in Jackson County history? Like maybe your grandparents. Like, what did they do? BM: Well, my family’s roots go back to the very earliest days of Jackson County. My family were some of the first people that crossed the Balsams…through Balsam Gap to settle what is now Jackson County. At that time, it was Macon County and Haywood County. So, they’ve been here a long time. As far as holding any offices or holding any prominent positions, none of them never did. My great grandfather was on the school board at one time, but other than that, they’ve just… they were just active citizens who voted and who participated in their community and contributed in the ways that most ordinary citizens contributed. NW: Sure. And they were like there like in the first place. That’s pretty awesome. Jackson County was founded in… BM: 1851. NW: I always see on the sign. That’s the only reason I remember that. That’s cool. So, did you have any siblings growing up? BM: One brother. NW: Yeah. BM: Who’s younger by about two years. Brian McMahan 3 NW: OK. So, what was an average weekend like in the McMahan household like as you were growing up in the 80s and 90s, I guess? BM: That would be it. I was born in the mid-seventies, so my earliest memories really are the 80s when I would have been greater than five. The average weekend was just very low key. A lot of time around home. You know my parents…my mother would cook, so I have a lot of memories about meals. NW: Oh yeah. BM: About sitting around the table eating. We spent a lot of time outdoors playing games with the neighbors. During the 1980s, we didn’t have the technology that we have today, so a lot of time was spent playing games, either board games or stuff like that indoors or most of our time was outdoors. Playing baseball or football or riding our bicycles or had a go-cart, going fishing. Just whatever our imagination could help create for us. NW: Yeah. Just enjoying what’s around. There’s so much beauty around here. BM: So, that was our…as kids that’s what we did mainly. Obviously, my parents had chores for us to do, and then we would go to the town and go to the stores and shop and church on Sunday. NW: Yeah. BM: Just sort of an average weekend. NW: Yeah. So, you attend Balsam Baptist Church? BM: Balsam Baptist Church. NW: And have you been attending there like your whole life? BM: Almost my entire life. I started out at Mount Pleasant Baptist early on. NW: I actually think I know where that is. BM: It’s right next to the Balsam Fire Department main station there in that long straigtaway. NW: Is it the one up on that hill? BM: No, it’s in the long straightaway after you pass the Jake Paris Bridge and go into that long straightaway, which is called the Willets straight. NW: Yeah. I think I have. BM: It’s a white church with a green roof over on the right. NW: Yes. Yes. Yes. I’ve seen it. I sometimes see the barbecues and stuff there. BM: Yeah. Yeah. So, I did attend there as a small child, but by age five, we had transferred membership to Balsam, which is at the top of the mountain across from the post office, and I’ve been there right now almost forty years. NW: That’s awesome. And then how was like faith had like an impact on your life? Brian McMahan 4 BM: Faith. My faith has been the driving force in my life. It has been…my faith in God, and His speaking to me has been the compass that has directed my life. Every decision that I’ve made I’ve tried to make based upon what I felt was according to His will and how He wanted me to move. NW: That’s awesome. That’s really cool. So, getting back to like family life. As a kid or young teenager…so, you talked about like some of the hobbies you had. You were saying fishing, and you guys played some sports. Did you play any sports in like high school? BM: I did not play organized sports in high school. NW: Did you have any like hobbies you did? Also, where did you go to elementary school? BM: I went to Scotts Creek Elementary School. And then I went to Smoky Mountain High School, which is here. NW: That’s awesome. So, had it changed to Sylva Webster by the time you had gotten there? BM: Well, it changed I believe if my memory serves me right…1988 was the first year that it changed to Smoky Mountain, so I came here the next year. NW: That’s cool. BM: I was one of the first classes to go all the way through. NW: That’s awesome. Yeah. My uncle was one of the last classes at Sylva Webster. Smoky’s also like a really cool name. Sorry go off on a tangent, but when you think about the other counties cause it’s just like Hendersonville, Franklin…like the name of their towns but we have like Smoky Mountain. BM: Yeah. If I remember they had a contest to determine the name of the school NW: Oh really? BM: There was a process they went through to determine it. It wasn’t just something they . . . NW: That’s pretty cool. And it fits us pretty well. The Smoky Mountains. That’s cool. So, are there any childhood memories that you remember fondly? Like maybe a family vacation, you look back on or maybe just moments around the house? Something with your brother or your mom or dad? BM: Most of my memories are just average, you know, time spent at home. I do remember some vacations. We went to the beach…Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I can remember going there as a kid on a couple of different occasions where we went with some other family members. Those are memorable trips. I remember going to the Outer Banks on one trip with my parents and grandparents, and that was a very memorable trip. We didn’t take a lot of vacations. Every once in a while. NW: Yeah. BM: My mother had…has a form of crippling type arthritis…rheumatoid arthritis and so she was limited in what she could do and had a lot of healthcare issues, so it somewhat limited us sometimes but a lot of picnics. We used to love to go up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. NW: Yes. Brian McMahan 5 BM: Spent a lot of time going on picnics and that kind of stuff. So that’s fond memories. NW: You can’t beat that. We used to do that when KFC was in town. We’d get the…go up there, and that was always fun. This is kind of a random question. It’s not on my interview either, but what was like the food options around here? Has it like…it’s grown up a lot, I’m sure. BM: Oh, it has. When I was a kid the only fast food places…the very first ones I remember there was Robbie’s Char Burger and then you had the Parkway Restaurant and then you had Hardees, which is where Zaxby’s is now. NW: Oh wow. BM: And that was it. And KFC, which is where the foot doctor place is. And of course, it’s next to the Pancake Barn, but I’m just thinking about fast food, so that was it. KFC, Hardees, and then Robbie’s Char Burger was the three fast food places that were available when I was a kid. I remember when they built McDonalds. NW: Yeah. BM: I remember when it opened and everything else since then and all the development on 107. NW: Yeah. It’s really grown up. Mom was telling me about that, like that the options were very limited for like food and stuff. BM: My dad worked in Waynesville at Dayco, so we spent a fair bit of time in Waynesville. NW: Sure. BM: And they would traveled to Waynesville. That’s where they did their banking because that’s where he worked. NW: Balsam is pretty close to it. BM: And it’s a little over halfway. It’s about halfway. It’s the same distance either way, so I remember when they built the first McDonalds in Waynesville. It came before the Sylva one. NW: Right. BM: The only McDonalds there used to be was Asheville, and when my mother would have to go to the doctor in Asheville, we would stop at McDonalds. That was a huge treat. NW: Totally. BM: So, it’s like when they built the one in Waynesville, and then they built the one in Sylva…Man look what we have. NW: This is awesome. We’ve got McDonalds. That’s cool. Do you have like any fond memories of high school? Sorry that these are not specific questions. BM: No. I enjoyed high school. I just remember fondly some of the classes I took and had a great experience. Some of the social events. Some of the sock hops they had, dances, sporting events where you come to the football games. Brian McMahan 6 NW: Oh yeah. BM: The basketball games. Coming out to participate in like spirit week when you had homecoming. I just had very fond memories of all those events. NW: Yeah. That’s a lot of fun stuff. That’s really cool. In high school, did you get your first job in high school, and what was your first job? BM: I never really worked at a…the only work that I did was some mowing. NW: Oh yeah. BM: I helped my great uncle. I never did work at a grocery store or a restaurant or anything like that, but I worked helping my great uncle do some mowing and mow cemeteries and that kind of stuff, and that was my first real job, and I didn’t take other employment till later on when I was in college. NW: Sure. And so, moving right in on that you attended college at Western Carolina University? BM: I did. NW: What did you major in, and what did you want to do after your time in college? BM: Well, my major was in political science with a focus on state and local government. NW: Yeah. BM: And I had a minor in history because I’ve always enjoyed history. But I always envisioned trying to work somehow in government. NW: Yeah. BM: Some kind of bureaucratic job potentially. Of course, I never really…I did that a little. I worked in county government for about five years and have served as an elected official for the last couple decade. NW: Oh yeah. That was going to be one of my questions was what inspired you to get into local government, so that was awesome. Do you have any like college memories that like you find just amazing? Like, do you remember any college…things from college that you…I can’t phrase this for some reason. BM: Any memories that stand out in college? NW: Stand out. Yeah BM: A lot of studying. I remember spending a lot of time at the library writing research papers. Of course, a lot has changed in education about how you attend class and do homework and papers and all that kind of stuff. NW: Right. BM: I didn’t have a computer during those times, and so I think that would be a big change. Everything was done then by handwriting. NW: Yeah. Brian McMahan 7 BM: So we would go into take the exams in college classes, and you had to buy these notebooks, and you took these little notebooks that you bought that had the university name on the front of it and open it up, and it had lined pages in it, and you would hand write your exam in it. I can remember sitting at home with a typewriter and trying to type my research papers. NW: Yeah. BM: I did go to the library a lot, and I would use the computer at the library, so it was near the end of my college career days that I purchased the first computer for home. NW: Wow. Yeah. It’s evolved over time so fast too. It’s just…it’s crazy. Like, with a typewriter, you had to go back like if you had made a mistake…Could you go back or were you really? BM: You could go…I had an electronic typewriter so you could go back and autocorrect it if you didn’t hit the return button and go to the next line. Now once you’ve returned and gone to the next line then you had to manually roll it up, go back and take a pencil…they had a special pencil that was like an eraser that you could sort of erase it out, or you could take correction tape and put it over the paper and then type over top of the correction tape, and it would cover it with a new word. NW: That’s cool. BM: It was complicated. NW: It’s come a long way. BM: It’s come a long way. NW: A long way. After college, where did you first start working? BM: Well, while I was in college, I got a job as a grant position working for the Jackson County Planning and Economic Development Office. NW: That’s cool. BM: So, while I was in…it sort of fit hand in hand with my major and I was sort of like an intern, grant position. So, I worked there part-time and when I graduated, that when on for about a year or so, and then I graduated, I was offered a job full time with Jackson County, and I took a job in the Emergency Management Office. NW: That’s cool. What did you do while you were on the Planning…you said Planning Committee? BM: I was basically an administrative assistant. NW: OK. BM: I helped take notes, helped draft documents, answered the phone, worked out of the office. NW: Sure. Yep. So, like an office assistant almost. That’s cool. And then after that what did you do. BM: Emergency Management… I was a 9-1-1- dispatcher. NW: Oh wow. Brian McMahan 8 BM: And then I helped the Emergency Management Coordinator on special events, attended a lot of training classes. I helped the 9-1-1- Coordinator go out and do 9-1-1 mapping at the field. NW: What does that mean? Like 9-1-1 mapping? BM: Go out and like someone building a house, and you’d take and go out and measure the driveway. NW: You had to make sure you know how to get in? BM: Yeah. You would assign them an address. You would measure the driveway and give them your official 9-1-1 address, which is based upon distance. NW: I had no idea. That’s so cool. BM: So, I did a lot of that, and of course, I have a background in emergency services. I’m a volunteer fireman. NW: Yeah. BM: So, I serve on the Balsam Volunteer Fire Department and have for twenty-some years, and so I had a great interest in emergency services, and that’s why I sort of took that job when it came open. NW: That’s awesome. Have you like…so you were a dispatcher, so when they call you were a dispatcher? BM: I was. Yes. NW: So, when they called, was that like a stressful scenario? BM: It could be. It was very stressful at times. People would call 9-1-1 in their desperation, needing help. You never knew what you were going to encounter, and then you just try to keep people calm. You try to talk them through a situation. You try to get help sent to them, and you sort of was the intercessor between them and the responders until they could get there. NW: Right. That’s cool. So, you had to like to make sure you get help there. So would you like when they called…this is really random, but I’m like kind of curious about this….so when they call would you like just have to like…do you call the fire department separately and like the cops separately or do they all just go and respond to that certain scenario? BM: No. You would call them separately. You would ask them this is Jackson County 9-1-1 what’s the location of your emergency. NW: Right. BM: And they would say 428 Down the Hill Road. What’s going on? What’s your emergency? And they’d say well I need… my kids broke his arm. Well then, I know to dispatch the ambulance NW: Yep. And did you have like just buttons you could click that would do that or would you? BM: There is buttons. There’s a radio consoles that I’d type it into the computer, create the call, type in a short narrative of what’s taken place, and then I’d select up on the radio channels who needed to go Brian McMahan 9 and send the frequency out to those people. They would receive it, the signal. Their beepers would activate, and then they would radio back and say I’ve got the call, and I’m on my way. NW: That’s great. That’s cool. BM: So, you managed that call basically. NW: That’s cool. That’s awesome. I really find it interesting. I didn’t know you had to like confirm peoples addresses too, but that makes a lot of sense so you can get to places. BM: There were very few cell phones in the early days, and you know it was mostly 9-1-1 calls from homes, but cell phones have now dominated. NW: That makes sense. So, you’re married, correct? BM: I am married. NW: And did you meet your wife in college, or how did you guys meet? BM: We met online through Match.com. NW: That is awesome. Wow. BM: I waited, and I didn’t marry very early in life. I graduated college, got a job, worked, stayed at home with my parents for a while, then my grandparents deceased and then I inherited their home. I moved into their home, lived alone for several years, and then decided it was time to start thinking about getting married and having a family if I was going to do it. So in my early 30s I went on, created an account with Match.com, I’m assuming they still have that. NW: Yeah. They do. BM: And my wife had created an account. She was a schoolteacher in Greenville, SC, and so when you create an account with Match.com, you have all these parameters. You have these…I’m looking for this kind of person with this color of hair. I mean you can get as detailed as you want. NW: Yeah. BM: You can say I want somebody with brown hair, blue eyes, weighs this amount, this tall, does these things, likes these things. All these things that you can choose. One of the things too you can choose…if you get real specific you can find nobody, or you can be very vague. But the only thing she really put down, she wanted someone within 100 miles of where she lived. NW: Right. BM: And I was 98 miles from where she lived, so I was almost outside the range. And so, she and I met online. We got to know each other, and then the rest is history. I went down, and we started dating. NW: And her name is? BM: Luisa. NW: Luisa. Brian McMahan 10 BM: Yeah. It’s Lisa with a “u”. L-U-I-S-A. NW: How long have y’all been married now, you said? BM: Ten years. NW: Wow. Congrats. That’s awesome. That’s so cool, though, like online dating stuff. It works. BM: It works. It works. I was a little skeptical at first, and then I thought you know I’m not going to stay at home alone. NW: Yeah. You’re like, why not? BM: Why not? I mean its… NW: It worked out. BM: It worked out for me. And I met several other very nice young ladies that it didn’t work out romantically for me, but we have remained good friends over the years. NW: See, that’s cool. BM: I’ve met some friends on there. NW: That’s awesome. And do you guys have kids? BM: We have two kids. NW: That’s awesome. Are they boy? Girl? BM: The boy is eight…Henry. And our daughter Annie is five. NW: Henry and Annie. BM: Henry and Annie. NW: And what is family life like. Do you enjoy that? I’m sure you do. BM: Oh, absolutely. I’m a strong believer in family. Family unit is the very basic unit in our world. NW: Oh yeah. BM: It all starts at home, and that’s. NW: As you were saying about your mom who liked raised you guys. BM: Absolutely. NW: Raised you guys. BM: My wife and I take it very seriously. I view fatherhood as the most important job I have, so after I became a husband and a dad it’s more important than anything else I’ll ever do in life is making sure my kids get what they need, and they make it to adulthood and head off in the right direction. Everything else is second to that. Brian McMahan 11 NW: Yeah. That’s so cool. And that’s like the viewpoint that I want to have when I get older. BM: Absolutely. God’s number one in my life, family is number two, and then everything else falls. NW: Absolutely. So, you’re wearing you’re Balsam Mountain Preserve…sorry I keep jumping from topic to topic. BM: That’s fine. NW: But what do you do there and how long have you been working there? BM: Well, I left Jackson County employment in I guess it was 2002, so I was offered a job at Balsam Mountain Preserve when they came to Jackson County and bought the property that is now the Balsam Mountain Preserve…the developers. They needed some people to work there. I am now the chief of security. I started out as assistant chief and its sort of a public safety department. It sort of fits with my emergency services background. NW: Yeah. BM: I patrol the property. I help teach safety classes. I respond to emergencies. I manage ingress and egress. Letting people in and out. Sort of just control and make sure it’s a safe, secure community. NW: Sure. BM: That’s my main job. NW: That’s really cool. BM: Public relations for the company. NW: Yeah. And so, you’ve been working there for…? BM: Well, let’s see since 2002 full time. So that’s seventeen years. NW: Wow. That’s awesome. I’m guessing you enjoy it. BM: It’s a great place to live. It’s very close to where I live. It’s less than a mile as the crow would fly. When I drive to work, I’m driving about oh goodness maybe about a mile and two tenths or something like that. NW: That’s not bad at all. BM: My vehicle doesn’t even have time to get warm in the mornings when I leave to go to work. NW: Oh yeah. And how many houses are up there? It’s a pretty big… BM: 85 homes right now. There’s six under construction, and there’s a whole bunch more to be built in the future. NW: Wow. That’s really cool. So, let’s see. We’ve been kind of talking a little bit about your government life quite a bit. And you talk about like faith like impacts that. So I know, I understand and know that you’re the chairman of Jackson County Board of Commissioners. BM: Correct. Brian McMahan 12 NW: How did you first get involved in local government, and what inspired you to get involved? You’ve already touched on that a little bit. BM: I’ve always had a very unique interest in government and politics in general and how people are driven to do certain things and how policy and the environment and the world around us drives us to do certain things and so it’s always been unique to try to just observe and to study and to learn and the whole process about how government works and what’s the driving forces in government. So, politics…I observed it from an early age, and I saw it as something that I was very interested in. I was at work one day, and one of our county commissioners or former county commissioners decided not to run for reelection, and it opened up a vacancy, and I had some people call me and say why don’t you consider this? So, I gave it some thought, and I thought you know, maybe I’ll try it. I’ve got a great interest in this, and so I put my name out there and got out and started doing some campaigning, going to knocking on doors, shaking hands, asking people to vote for me. I had a primary. I’m a Democrat, so I had a Democrat primary. I ran against two very worthy opponents that had great experience. One a former school superintendent and one a sitting town board member, and I won. I beat both of those guys and went on that fall in the general election to beat my challenger, and I was seated as the District 2 County Commissioner, and I was twenty-seven years old. NW: Wow. BM: And I was one of the youngest county commissioners in the state at that time. NW: Yeah. So that was early 2000s? BM: 2002 was when I was elected. NW: Wow. So, you have really been doing this for a very, very long time. So, about the same time, you started working at Balsam Mountain Preserve. BM: It sort of all fell in together. NW: Yeah. BM: I made the decision to run for county commissioner in February…late February. I got offered a job at Balsam in March. NW: Yeah. BM: At the same time. NW: So, it’s kind of been hand in hand ever since. BM: Yeah. NW: That’s really, really cool. BM: And then I served as District Commissioner for District 2 until 2005 and the chairman at that time, Stacy Buchanan, he resigned for work reasons, and I was…I went through the process which was a very complicated process within the Democratic party and was able to get the nomination to be appointed chairman. So, I resigned my district seat and was appointed to serve out the remainder of the chairman’s seat, and the in 2006, I ran for chairman and every time I’ve run since I’ve run as chairman. Brian McMahan 13 NW: That’s awesome. So, what is the role of the chairman? BM: The Chairman of the County Commissioners is the leader of the board. He’s the official spokesperson for Jackson County. The chairman sets the agenda. The chairman works with the county manager to make sure that things are flowing like they should, works to create the agenda and to make sure the meetings flow well. I chair the meetings. I rule on all the motions and the parliamentary procedures. I sign all the paychecks and all the official documents on behalf of the county. NW: Yep. BM: So, I’m sort of the point person for the board. I represent the board. NW: That’s a big job. BM: It’s a big job. NW: Oh yeah. So, you get to control the agenda? I don’t really know how to put this but you like keep things…I don’t know how to put this. Keep things like, if you want something to happen, you have better control over it as the chairman? Not you personally but as your party, I guess? I’m trying to make it not sound like… BM: Yeah. No. You’re asking the right question. I help create the agenda that’s presented to the board. NW: Ok. BM: So, I will work with the manager. I’ll say what do we need to discuss at this next meeting. There are a lot of things we discuss on the agenda that are routine items that come up every year. NW: Yeah. BM: Like renewing contracts. Like say, for instance, if we have a contract for our waste management to haul the waste…the trash. So that’s a contract and every so many months it expires and has to be renewed, so that’s something that you’re going to find on the agenda on a regular basis. NW: Yeah. BM: To approve someone to appoint someone to a position like to serve as tax administrator or to appoint someone to serve on the jury commission or whatever. All those different roles have to be appointed, and so those just rotate through your agenda schedule. Then there’s items where you do have more control over and from a timing standpoint like if there’s an initiative like say that I want to push an item an issue for like the environment. If I wanted to create some kind of local law, local ordinance that regulated some kind of environmental issue…well, I would have more control over that. I would say all right, let’s hold this issue till this time because it would be more favorable for us to talk about it at this point. NW: Sure. BM: So, I could sort of look at the calendar and determine when I think it would be the best to discuss it and then put it on the agenda. Now when it comes to the board at the night of the meeting, the board has to approve the agenda. Brian McMahan 14 NW: Right. BM: That’s the official approval. So, I recommend…so what I lay on the table is this is my recommended agenda. NW: Ok. That’s cool. BM: And so, then the board looks at it, and then someone makes a motion well I move that we approve the agenda as been presented. Someone seconds the motion, and then it goes to a vote. If all five members have a vote, myself included, so if three of us vote to approve the agenda, then it becomes the document that we work from that night, and those are the items that we discuss that night. If three people vote against the agenda, then the agenda fails, and then we have to produce a new agenda. NW: Ok. BM: So, I mean, I have some control. I always ask at the start of the meeting are there any additions to the agenda. So, if another commissioner had an item that they wanted to add to the agenda. NW: Yeah. BM: So someone else has a passion about some other topic they bring it forward that night…say I would like for us to add this item to discuss and then I always welcome commissioners to add…even if they’re a part of my party or not apart because they are elected, and they deserve the right to bring to the table whatever topic is important to them. NW: Absolutely. BM: Now, I may not vote for it when it gets to that discussion point. NW: You at least let it get presented. BM: I at least let it get presented. NW: That’s cool. BM: So that’s sort of how…and there’s times where we say well this item, we really need to take it off the agenda because now’s not the appropriate time to discuss it because of “xyz” factor that just come into play. NW: And do y’all usually just deal with like zoning and contracts like most of the time? BM: Zoning and contracts and appointments and budget issues. So, there’s a whole host of issues that we do. NW: Yeah. Budgeting is probably a big part. BM: It’s a huge part. NW: So…let’s see. What are some of the issues in Jackson County that you have addressed, or what are your proudest accomplishments as a commissioner or the chairman of commissioners in your time serving? Brian McMahan 15 BM: One of my proudest accomplishments is our educational system. I’m very proud of all the projects that I’ve helped work to be a part of. All the buildings built here in Jackson County on educational campuses that are either public school or community college were built by the county commissioners. NW: That’s awesome. BM: You know when you think about all…there’s several buildings on this Smoky Mountain High School campus that I voted to approve the funding to be built. The football turf… that was something that was a big project that we fought hard for. NW: Yeah. That was pretty cool. BM: Yeah. NW: Even for playing soccer on it. It’s great. BM: Yeah. Absolutely. And my son plays and daughter both play soccer. NW: Yeah. BM: They’re huge soccer players. Right now, we just started, broke ground on the Health Sciences building out at Southwestern Community College, which is going to have a huge impact on this community going forward. So, I’m very proud of the work that we’re doing there. Environmental. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done to protect our mountains. We’ve enacted some very stringent, strict guidelines that control development in a way that doesn’t stop development, but it also protects our mountain and our ridge tops, so I’m very proud of some of those things I’ve been able to participate in. NW: Cleaning up the mountains. I don’t know if you were involved in that, but that was a cool thing that’s just come up recently. BM: Absolutely. That was something that we came up with and trying to get some traction on reducing litter. I’m very proud of the support I’ve given Emergency Services. Our fire departments, rescue squads, sheriff office…all those have grown exponentially since I’ve been in office and have received multiple increases in their operating budgets to help give them the tools they need. I’m very proud of that. A lot of things to be proud about. NW: Yeah. That’s awesome. BM: And I look back on my tenure here when I do decide one day to not stay in office any longer and to hang it up and go home. I hope that people can be proud of what I’ve been a part of. NW: And they will. I’ll look back and remember [inaudible]. So. Yeah. How many times have you had to run? It’s every four years? BM: It’s every four years, so 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. I’ve run five times. NW: I think it goes to show that like you keep getting reelected that you made a difference. BM: Now, I did lose one time. NW: Yeah. Exactly. Wait. Brian McMahan 16 BM: I lost in 2010. It was a very unique year. It was the year… you know in politics if you look back in politics there’s cycles that happen ok. For example, if you go back to 1994, there was this cycle it was called. What year were you born? NW: I was born in 2000. BM: 2000. So, this predates your time. In 1994 Contract with America. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard that expression. Newt Gingrich was from Georgia was the Speaker of the House in Washington, and the Republicans put together this concept called Contract with America where they were going to do certain initiatives, and it was a strong year for Republicans. You know Bill Clinton was in the White House. He was elected in ‘92 in ‘96 we saw the pendulum swing the other way and Congress in ‘96 became under the control of the Republican House and Senate, so things swung the opposite direction and then we saw Contract with America and that also transcended to local politics and so we saw the board of commissioners for the first time in decades became four Republicans and one Democrat and then that slowly swung back the other way until 2010. And then we had 2010 was the year of the Tea Party. You had the Tea Party movement, and that’s when Congress…Of course Obama was in the White House. The pendulum swung back the other way in Congress. Usually, that happens when you’ve got one party in the White House, the House, and Senate, and the Congress will swing the other way, and so in 2010, the Tea Party movement swung the other way. Obama was in the White House, and that also transcended to the local level once again, and I lost by 68 votes. That was one of the closest elections in Jackson County, and I lost and then stayed out for four years on the sidelines, involved in the background, and then I decided in 2014 I’m going to give it another shot and I reclaimed my seat and won again. NW: It’s fascinating how it changes though you’re so right, like looking at history. Even when you look at like the majority…you know like when the presidents get the states. Like they get those electoral votes. Is that what it’s called? You like see like states will just change and its really cool. And Jackson County…am I right about this? In the west, it’s really just us and Buncombe that tend to be more Democratic than the other, like compared to the other counties. BM: And up in the Boone area. NW: Yeah, yeah yeah. BM: Watauga, I meant. NW: That’s really cool. It’s fascinating stuff. BM: It is, and you know you have Western Carolina University, which is typically, university college towns are a little more liberal. NW: Right. BM: And so, we have pockets of deep, deep red conservative areas in Jackson County, but we also have pockets of very liberal leaning in Jackson County and as a whole politics has changed. You had the old South. You had Dixiecrats. You had Democrats that were very socially conservative but yet voted Democrat on economic issues. A lot of those Democrats voted for Reagan in the 80s, so it’s an interesting dynamic, and when you compare us to other areas of the country, we’re a little bit unique in the way our political parties line up. But, so it’s changed, and it’s still evolving. Brian McMahan 17 NW: Yeah. BM: It’s still evolving, but it’s been an interesting process to not only watch to be a part of. NW: Yeah. That’s awesome. And you even look back on that and be like I was a part of that. And it’s cool that like what happens nationally or at the federal level affects like the local area. BM: It does. NW: Yeah. That’s cool. So, I guess I’m trying to see if I have any more questions. Is there anything else you’d really want to add? I have really enjoyed this, and I appreciate the time taken. BM: No. I don’t have anything else in particular. NW: Yeah. I… Appalachian Oral Histories is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done and just getting to hear other people’s things like parts of their life. I’m very nostalgic, so just getting to look back is really cool. So, thank you for your time today. BM: Absolutely. NW: I appreciate it. BM: Absolutely.

Brian McMahan is interviewed by a Smoky Mountain High School student as a part of Mountain People, Mountain Lives: A Student Led Oral History Project. McMahan grew up in Jackson County in the Willets community. He shares memories of his childhood and his family. He discusses his employment during and after attending Western Carolina University. He talks about his role as Chairman of the Jackson County Commissioners and working for Balsam Mountain Preserve.

• Creator
  • McMahan, Brian
• Contributor
  • Wade, Nathan
• Format
  • Sound recordings
  • Transcripts
  • Interviews
• Type
  • Sound
  • Text
• Date
  • Date interview: 2019-05-28
• Extent
  • Duration: 0:44:33
  • Pages: 17
• Subject - Topic
  • Jackson County (N.C.) -- Officials and employees
  • McMahan, Brian -- Interviews
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Oral History Collection - Mountain People, Mountain Lives
• Identifier
  • HL_MPML_Wade_McMahan_2019-05-28
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library